Late Blooms & Harvests

Hello, friends.  J finished harvesting the sweet potatoes, and I gathered enough sweet potato leaves for a few smoothies.  Something had been chewing on the sweet potatoes on the far end of the bed.  With a fire ant mound not far away, we wonder if it was them.  There were half a dozen mounds that were entirely eaten off, and some hollowed out on other vines, but we still got quite a few.  We had a better harvest than last year, and are grateful.  Red colored marigolds were gathered for dyeing, and others for seed.  I pounded a rebar barrier around the lemon verbena mid-summer, as it had been mowed.  It's since produced a small sprig of leaves, which was harvested.  At the same time, I pounded another barrier around a young serviceberry, as it had been mowed and weed-eaten multiple times.  That's my latest protection strategy, and it seems to be working.  The contractor flags and tape just weren't cutting it.  

After an appointment, I went by the thrift store, and found a cast iron doormat for $8.  I saw a less ornate one on amazon for $90.  There's already one at the side door we use daily.  Some consideration was given to putting it at the front door of the rental house, but I'd be sad if it left with one of our tenants, so we'll use it here.  The great thing is I should never have to buy outside doormats again.  I stopped by the feed store, and picked up cabbage and collard plants.  I would have loved some more lettuce, but what they had was already bolting.  J worked up the soil of our hoop house, which hasn't been used for several years, due to increasing shade.  He cut down a cedar that was blocking sun, and seeded a patch of winter salad mix.  I added biochar to the holes, and got the plants in the ground.  He surrounded the hoop house with deer netting.  Once it gets colder, we'll put plastic up, for more protection.  This is the first winter I haven't had kale, but my seedlings never did much, and I haven't found plants.  There's always next spring.  

I picked up a few things at Harris Teeter, getting the senior discount.  Before he put the pressure washer away, after using it at the rental house, J washed his car with it, then washed mine, which made me happy.  I didn't know you could do that, but it's fine on a low setting.  I guess it's not much different than a car wash, now that I think of it.  I harvested basil leaves of good size, but left the plants standing, for the bees, who were happily working it and a large aster.  We evidently did a pretty bad job of harvesting potatoes and onions in the pond garden this year, as there were lots of volunteer plants.  We dug them up on Friday, and have enough potatoes for a few meals, and plenty of onions, though they're quite small.  I'm happy to use them, nonetheless. 

the larger potatoes are not shown

With the woodstove going,  the first soap fats of the season were melted for free.  A local friend recently asked if I'd like some canning jars.  Of course, I said yes.  I brought a bar of my Pumpkin Chai soap as a thank you.  While there, a fully ripe Korean zucchini, called aehobak, was offered to me, which I gladly accepted.  I'll save the seeds, and look forward to trying it.  I also sampled a few of their persimmons.  They don't eat them, and I was offered to take some, which I may do after the first frost.  Another local friend expressed interest in the zaater, so I stopped and brought her some to try.  I spend lots of time in solitude, which I love, but it's also very nice to get out, and have conversations with good people.  When I got back home, I helped J split a nice load of firewood.  Tis the season.  We stacked it on Sunday.  After I cracked at least half of the pecans, and they were all bad, J suggested I just use them as biochar fuel, which is exactly what I did.  At least they were of some use.  Stay cozy.